Hunters meet Elementalists
by Fira Adzuki
Summary: 6 months have passed since X has beaten Sigma but the maverick's back again, this time with help. Strange dreams, new enemies, and unexpected allies make this one a wierd and new experience. ZeroOOC and XOOC. Original Characters involved.
1. Meet Strangers in Dreams

O: I decided to edit it again (for the third(?) time). XD I had mental block/didn't feel like continuing the story for MONTHS and when I read it again, my OC tendencies got the better of me and made me change it. XP It's still basically the same but a lot of it's different.

I stopped using for so long I forgot how to use it. :))

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Megaman or any of it's characters.

* * *

**CHAPTER 1: MEET STRANGERS IN DREAMS**

_-Maverick Hunter HQ: 3__rd__ of July, Monday (1:50 AM)-_

_It was as dark as it had been before and it felt as heavy and cold too. That didn't bother Zero, but it annoyed him that he couldn't move from where he was. He's had this same dream for days on end, and it was getting tiring. He wished it would end._

_Moments later, footsteps were heard, and those same voices spoke up like before._

"How do you know this would work? You said so yourself that you've never tried this before!"_ The first voice, in all its anger, was too familiar to Zero. After all, he'd seen and heard that old man in his other dreams before._

"It will work. Unlike those useless contraptions you've been working on before, he has the modifications that will allow him to withstand the changes."_ The second voice was softer and belonged to a much younger man, but Zero could hear the faint traces of malice in the man's voice—this one was no better than the older one._

"_Zero is my masterpiece and I won't allow anyone to—"_

_The old man suddenly stopped as one of the two pairs of footsteps suddenly shifted in pace and stopped._

"_Breath another word and I'll kill you." The tone of the younger man's voice sent chills down Zero's spine even from where he was lying down. "And you will never live to complete your so called 'masterpiece' and you won't be able to beat your rival, who was it? Dr. Light?"_

_There was no response and Zero heard a few typing noises and the hissing sound of a sealed capsule opening up around him._

_Wait, he was lying down?_

_Before he could think about it any further, he started to feel a little colder. It started with his hand, and then crept through his entire system. But it didn't destroy him like he thought it would. Strangely enough, he actually felt a bit… stronger. Before long, the cold started to drift away. And then…_

_Zero opened his eyes._

_He was in a cave. It was just as dark as when the other scene but this time, his z-saber in his hand illuminated most of the way. Not a soul was in sight. There didn't seem to be any immediate danger… so why was he all tense? And when had he drawn his saber?_

_There was a little bit of light up ahead. Maybe that was the way out. But as Zero stepped forward, he felt the wind shift slightly behind him and he turned to see what moved._

_There was no one there._

No, _Zero realized._ I just didn't see him move.

_As soon as he turned back, a dark hooded figure was standing in between him and the cave exit. Zero would have been surprised, but he has had this dream before—he knew what to expect. It was the same person as before, hooded in his usual tattered cloak so Zero can't see the upper half of his face. Zero tried to speak, but somehow, he was frozen on the spot and couldn't even bring himself to move his lips. He could feel himself moving in his sleep but he couldn't wake up, no matter how much he tried to._

_As if sensing the hunter's failed effort, the figure smiled a small, surprisingly gentle smile, and Zero couldn't help but feel pity at the expression._

_Normally, this would be where the dream would end, but this time, for some reason, it didn't. The figure removed his hood, finally revealing the face of the man beneath it. He looked young, around 25 to 30 years old. His hair was as black as the cave was dark and his pale skin glowed with a sick green color from Zero's saber. His face was carefully kept blank but his brown eyes betrayed the saddest expression Zero had seen in a man's face._

"_I'm sorry," the figure said. His voice didn't match those Zero heard earlier. It sounded much younger and softer… and lonely. "I didn't know what he was up to and I just wanted to see how you would turn out to be after years of being sealed up. But…"_

_The man chuckled half-heartedly. "I never really imagined you'd join _X_, of all the people. I don't think your creator expected that," he continued, sounding slightly amused. "I wasn't expecting it, either. I really thought you'd hunt him down as soon as you woke up. I mean, that was what you were created for, right? Something must have happened when you and Sigma were fighting back then and—"_

_The man suddenly stopped and his smile disappeared in a frown. Zero glared at him as well. Did the man know something about his past that he didn't? Was he a friend or an enemy? What was his name anyway?_

How does he know about me and Sigma?_ Zero thought. As far as he knew (which wasn't a lot), there were no humans around when he and Sigma were fighting back then. He knew this was just a dream but he still found it strange that a human would know that. Maybe he should start talking to someone. This whole past thing might be affecting him more than he realized._

"_I said too much. His majesty will kill me for sure," the man whispered, looking down. Turning back to Zero, he said in a louder voice, "Anyway, I just wanted to warn you. I think should know that… someone other than Sigma—someone far worse than Sigma—is after you and your friend X. You should always be more careful from now on."_

_Zero glared at the man more. Someone other than Sigma? What does this guy know that he or X doesn't? How much danger are they in exactly? Whose side is this guy on? But even after all that thought, Zero still couldn't speak and the hunter found himself wondering why he was taking the words from a stranger in his dreams so seriously. The man smiled at that. It annoyed Zero to no end._

_The hunter momentarily blanked out as he felt someone move him in his sleep._

"Zero? Are you okay?"_ X's voice rang out. _"Wake up! It's only a dream."

"_But then again," the man spoke up suddenly, smiling gently again. "I think you two will be just fine."_

_The man then turned and disappeared and Zero was left staring at the light from the cave exit. The light strangely started getting bigger as it moved nearer and nearer to the stunned hunter. It got brighter and brighter until—_

The first thing Zero saw when he opened his eyes was X staring down worriedly at him.

"Are you okay, Zero?" X asked. His voice was so thick with concern that Zero wondered if he had been talking in his sleep.

"I'm fine," the red hunter replied, way more curtly than he meant to.

X ignored the tone of his voice. "Are you sure?" he asked again. "You didn't look like fine."

To be honest, Zero didn't _feel_ fine. He was irritated at how he took such a stupid dream so seriously. But he wasn't about to tell _that_ to X (what will he think?) so he just frowned, annoyed by his roommate's persistence.

"I'm going out," Zero announced as he got off his bed and started making his way to the door. _Maybe a bit of fresh air will help…_

"What, at 2 in the morning?" X asked incredulously.

Zero stopped in mid-step halfway through the door and turned back to him. The digital clock at the bedside table near the blue hunter confirmed what X had said.

"What are you doing so early then?" Zero inquired. "Did something happen?" If a maverick had attacked earlier, Zero didn't hear explosions or anything unusual while he was sleeping.

"Uh, no," X replied, shrugging. "I just got up a few minutes before you did and then, well…"

X grinned. "I didn't know you talk in your sleep, Zero."

Zero's eyebrow twitched as he stared at X. So he WAS talking in his sleep after all.

"I had a weird dream," Zero explained.

"Really? About what?"

Zero sighed in defeat. "Caves," he mumbled. "Weird people."

"That's not so bad," X commented.

"Hmph. What about you? Why are you up so early?" Zero demanded.

"Uh," X stopped to scratch his head. "Bad dream."

Zero raised an eyebrow. X rarely got disturbed about anything other than fighting.

"What was it about?" he decided to ask.

"Uh, well…" X's voice trailed off as he thought about what to say. "You know the forest behind the base near the city? There was a clearing and you were there fighting this guy with black hair and red eyes, and then this blonde haired guy with a big sword came along and fought the black-haired man in your place. You tried to help him but then he told you to stay out of his fight."

"Then how is that a bad dream?" Zero asked incredulously. "I fight on a regular basis, don't I?" _Well, maybe not with humans, but still…_

"Well… there was a teenager lying on the floor and he was covered in blood. There was a girl beside him too but she looked fine. And then…"

X's stopped and shifted uncomfortably. Zero waited, but X said nothing.

"And then?" Zero prompted.

"And then… well, Iris ran to them and tried to ask them to stop but then the black-haired guy got her…"

X stopped again and looked at Zero worriedly but Zero kept his face expressionless. _No need to get upset over a dream… _he thought. _But Iris trying to stop them reminds me of…_ Zero shook his head and pushed the thought away. _I couldn't do anything for Iris and Colonel. It's all in the past now. I can't do anything about it…_

"Zero?" X asked tentatively, snapping Zero out of his thoughts.

Zero gave him a long look. "Iris?"

X just shrugged. "She was wearing human clothes but she looked exactly like Iris, so..."

X shrugged again. Zero sighed in defeat. "What happened next then?"

"The black-haired man disappeared along with the girl, but not before telling you that Sigma's back."

Zero's eyes narrowed at the maverick's name. "Sigma's back?"

X frowned and shrugged yet again but Zero could see the slight trace of worry in his eyes. "I don't know, Zero. It was just a dream, after all. Besides, it's been 6 months after we last fought him. Even he doesn't disappear that long."

_Unless he's been busy… You can't be too sure._ Zero thought. Not knowing where that thought came from, Zero frowned even more, until he remembered his own dream. _Damn. It's like there's someone else inside my head doing the thinking._

"Maybe all this fighting's finally getting to me," X joked.

Zero just smirked, secretly worried. "Yeah. Let's just go back inside."

"But we never left the room, Zero."

"… Shut up."

X just laughed. Zero glared at him but then gave up and even grinned a little before closing the door.

"I don't he will come," X spoke up, suddenly looking distant.

"I don't think who will come?" Zero asked, confused.

"Sigma. I don't think he'll come back," X rephrased.

Zero sighed. "Either way, I don't think it'll happen soon. It's been kinda… peaceful lately, compared to before anyway."

X grinned. "Yeah. Who knows, maybe we'll get a day off today."

Zero shrugged and replied, "You never know."

Hours later, the alarm went off: several mavericks have been spotted in the south end of the city. Both X and Zero are to be dispatched to take care of the maverick while a few other hunters take charge of crowd control.

Zero just sighed. "You never really know."

* * *

_-Village of Ace Grace: 3__rd__ of July, Monday (8:30 AM)-_

Meanwhile, in the remote village of Ace Grace on the other side of the forest away from the city, everything was relatively peaceful. Strangely enough, Ace Grace, despite the widespread destruction caused by Sigma and the mavericks, has stayed untouched and safe. Rumour has it that there was a godlike monster in the forest protecting the village and that prevented any kind of serious harm to come to its residents. This scared some of the villagers, but since it hasn't done anything bad to them yet, most of the residents don't mind it at all. Some are even grateful for it.

Ryan Maxwell and his friends were just ordinary villagers who didn't care until they wandered into the forest and saw the "godlike beast", whose name was Voltaire, in person. It was there that Voltaire revealed to them about their ancestry—that they descended from a people who were assigned with the task of protecting the forest and who could control the elements of nature: Fire (Phoenixians), water (Oceanians), wind (Zephyrians), earth (Gaeans), light (Crystalians), dark (Tynans). He explained that the forest was home to the Elementals—the spirits of the elements—and that, should they be destroyed, it would mean disaster for Earth. Since it was supposed to be kept a secret (people wouldn't believe them anyway), Ryan and the others first thought it was all a joke, until his arm caught fire in a cooking accident and he found his supposedly burnt arm unscathed.

Ryan felt the familiar warmth of the sunlight on his face and opened his eyes. It was well into the morning already. His eyes shifted their gaze to the wall clock near the bed and he realized that it was already 8:30 am. He breathed out a curse. He hated waking up this late but he couldn't seem to wake up earlier recently. He had been too tired ever since Ryu—

_No, don't think about it, _he thought as fists clenched in anger at the memory.

Ryu, one of the more recent members in the group, was a Phoenixian ten years older than Ryan. He was a lot stronger than Ryan or any of the other members in the group was but strangely used techniques similar to those used by Tynans, who used the darkness and started the whole mess with the elementals. Later on, it was found out that Ryu's older half-brother—the very person who taught Ryu how to fight—was actually a Tynan who plotted to kill him. Nevertheless, everyone considered Ryu a friend and an ally, even with his stoic and quiet attitude and cold personality.

A few weeks ago, Ryu didn't exactly quit but he left saying that he needed a break and wanted to think things over. This upset everyone, especially Ryan since Ryu announced his departure right after the two of them had a fight. Remembering this made Ryan hit himself on the head.

_You are an idiot, Ryan,_ the Phoenixian berated himself.

Before Ryan can put any more thought in the matter, a knock on his door distracted him and his younger sister Fiara opened the door.

"James is in the living room downstairs. He said he has something to tell you," she said before closing the door again and Ryan heard her footsteps fade away as she went down the stairs.

James was the Oceanian Ryan first met when James' family moved into Ace Grace 10 years ago. Even though Ryan was usually distant from other people, James managed to befriend the Phoenixian on the spot and they've been close friends ever since. James first showed off as a person whose cheerful attitude and happy-go-lucky nature allowed him to keep smiling no matter what happened to him. Once Ryan got closer to him, however, the sharp Phoenixian then saw that James rarely smiled for real and pointed out that he didn't have to hide his feelings whenever he's upset. In response, James then began to show a bit of the serious side of his personality and once even expressed his dismay at his father's frequent absences.

Ryan just sighed and got out of bed. He proceeded to the living room without bothering to change his clothes. When he got there, he quickly spotted James on the sofa. The brown-haired, blue eyed teenager was sitting casually on the sofa muttering something along the lines of "boy, it just gets hotter in here every time."

"Oh, good morning, Ryan," James greeted with his usual grin as soon as he noticed the blond approaching.

"Good morning," Ryan greeted back a bit more curtly than he intended. "What's this about?"

"Huh? You're in a bad mood today," James noted, taken aback. "Well, I was going to ask you if it was okay if Ivan stayed over at our house for today. He over worked himself yesterday and I'm kind of worried he might go down with a fever…"

Ivan is the 5 year old Zephyrian boy Ryan found abandoned in the forest a few months ago. Not knowing what else to do, Ryan took him home and convinced his parents to let the kid stay. Just a few days after Ryu's departure, Ivan suddenly asked if he too could learn how to fight so Ryan wouldn't have to worry when the older teenager needed to leave Ivan alone. Everyone else had been thinking of the same thing but none of them expected to have Ivan say it himself. Even though he never really admit it, Ryan was protective of Ivan and was worried about the kid's decision but since that was what Ivan wanted, he didn't object and only hoped that Ivan wouldn't hurt himself in the process. Normally, Gale, James' father and a military soldier, would be the best person to teach him since he was the expert in combat and things like that. But since Gale was currently away on a mission, James was the next best person for the job.

Misunderstanding Ryan's irritation, James nervously moved back into his seat. He'd seen his share of the blonde's anger and, in all the 10 years the two have been together, James had never been so scared to death in his entire life.

"Sorry," James mumbled. "I'll take better care of him next time."

Ryan sighed and covered his face with a hand. "No, no. It's fine, don't worry."

James deliberated him for a moment but then shrugged and said, "Have you heard the news? The city was attacked this morning. They said the attack was in the south part of the city, somewhat near to the forest and that hunter base."

Ryan shrugged, unconcerned. He wasn't usually interested in things he had nothing to do with. And he can tell James wasn't interested in it too. His friend usually talks about trivial things before stating the important ones. "Those hunters will take care of it. They always do, don't they?"

"I guess." James looked down for a moment and Ryan knew whatever was next was important. "Some people disappeared from the forest around the same time as the attack this morning too. Others were claiming they were attacked by a red eyed… monster in the form of a human..."

Ryan's eyes narrowed. He could only think of one such person who would do such a thing: Samael, Ryu's older half-brother. If Samael appeared in the forest, then Ryan and the others would have to confront him as soon as possible. This was a problem, especially since Ryan and the other members of the group don't stand a chance without Ryu and Gale with them. Ryan sighed and covered his face with his hand; he was only 16 years old but because he was considered the unofficial leader of the group, it was like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"Easy, Ryan," James spoke up, trying to calm him down. "Varun said his prescence wasn't really a problem yet. It was like he had another reason for attacking those people."

Varun lived in a cave in the heart of the forest along with Voltaire. While Voltaire was the strongest Phoenixian there is, Varun was his Oceanian counterpart. They both guard their respective elements' elementals.

"Whatever reason he may have, he's still attacking the villagers," Ryan countered. "It's still our job to protect them."

"I think he was trying to draw the hunters out," James said, suddenly thoughtful.

"What? Why would he do that?" Ryan exclaimed.

"… I don't know. But he was attacking near their base… there wasn't any obvious pattern with the way he chose his victims. They weren't even… uh, one of us."

_Samael had been attacking normal humans at random? That's not like him. _Ryan noted. _That would probably attract the hunters' attention. They were supposed to protect the people of the country, after all. But what does he want with them…?_

"Either way, it doesn't change anything," Ryan concluded in a flat tone. "Tomorrow morning would be good. We don't have school anyway. Tell the others as soon as possible."

James sighed. When Ryan makes a decision, nothing can usually change his mind.

"Ryan, you know we're no match for him," James pointed out. "If we fight him, he'll kill us."

"If we don't fight him, he'll kill us AND kill the villagers and other innocent people," Ryan answered. "If we're going to die either way, then I'd rather die protecting the villagers."

"… You have a point. But still…" James sighed again. "I wish my dad was here. We don't stand a chance without him and Mr. R—"

James stopped himself but it was too late. Ryan glared at him, his fist clenched so tightly that James was surprised it didn't bleed.

"So you were angry about Ryu and not Ivan all along?" James asked nervously, trying to calm the angered leader. "Don't be so upset. I can say the one thing that can get you out of a bad mood any day since he left."

"Try me," Ryan challenged.

"Ryu's back."

Ryan's eyes narrowed even more at the Oceanian. But before he could retort, he vaguely saw a blond man walk in front of the window out of the corner of his eye. A knock on the door came shortly after that. Ryan and James looked at each other before scrambling to open the door. Standing there in front of them was Ryu. He looked tired and a bit thinner, but was otherwise okay. The man looked surprised at James but then waved at them both.

"Uh… I'm back."

* * *

It's gotten longer. orz


	2. Meet Trouble in the Morning

This chapter was hard to write at the beginning and for X and Zero's part of the story, I just copy-pasted the original. .-.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Megaman. If I did, Iris wouldn't have died. ._.

* * *

**CHAPTER 2: MEET TROUBLE IN THE MORNING**

_-Village of Ace Grace: 3__rd__ of July, Monday (9:15 AM)-_

"So if you didn't leave because we fought, why did you leave?" Ryan asked, a bit relieved at the new information.

Ryu just looked down and remained silent.

"Come on. You must have _some_ reason for going away like that," Ryan insisted.

All three of them were resting in Ryan's room. Ryan was lying comfortably on his bed, Ryu was sitting on the floor next to him, and James was sitting on the chair and had his feet propped up on Ryan's study table. James was smiling lazily while reading a random book he had picked up from the table. Ryu had changed into a comfortable shirt and pants and, much to Ryan's irritation, left his cloak and older clothes lying in the corner of the room.

"And besides, you owe us for worrying us like that," James pitched in.

Ryu frowned at them for a moment but then sighed and said, "Voltaire said I'm not supposed to tell anyone but I suppose it alright if it's you two. You probably realized it after hearing the news anyway. A few weeks ago, Voltaire told me that Samael was going into the forest more often lately. He could have taken care of him, but he decided to call me because he said that 'as long as he doesn't do anything potentially threatening to us, then it's none of my business'."

There was silence in the room and then Ryan reached out and hit Ryu on the head.

"Ow! Hey! James already did that!" Ryu exclaimed, moving away from the Phoenixian and relocating the ice bag he had been holding to the newer bump. James looked up at him in surprise but then laughed.

Just a little while ago, James had tackled the man to the ground and punched him for 'dropping in unannounced'. Both Ryu and Ryan thought it was ridiculous but neither objected—Ryan because he was just too relieved that Ryu came back and Ryu because he was just too tired to fight back.

"That was for lying to us," Ryan explained, glaring. "Do you have any idea how much we worried about you? And weeks later, Samael's still there!"

"For once, I agree with Ryan," James muttered.

"Shut up."

"I didn't say anything about finishing him off," Ryu protested, irritated now. "I was just trying to figure out what he was up to."

Ryan and James looked at him in silence for a long time as if they were waiting for something.

"And…?" James prompted.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean?" Ryan asked.

"Just that: I don't know," Ryu answered. "He keeps avoiding me. He doesn't seem to want a fight and he disappears before I can get near enough to talk. All I know is that he seems to be hanging around that Maverick Hunter Base near the forest. He got dangerously close to a reploid out on patrol once and he withdrew his weapon but he decided against it and left. I think he was trying to find a way in but I'm not sure."

Ryan's eyes flickered at the last statement and James's eyes widened but Ryu didn't notice.

"I hear he already attacked some of the villagers," the man continued. "Are you guys planning to do anything about that?"

Ryu looked at James questioningly. Ryan gave the Oceanian a meaningful look and shook his head slightly.

"We're not sure yet," James lied, his face calm. "We were still trying to decide what to do with Ivan when you arrived."

Ryu looked surprised at James. "What about Ivan? Did something happen?"

"No. Ivan just recently said he wanted to learn how to fight but he ended up overworking himself," James explained, smiling slightly.

"Oh. Okay," Ryu said simply. "How's Cara?"

It was James' turn to be surprised. But then he quickly recovered and grinned mischievously at Ryu, who in turn, glared. But it was Ryan who spoke up.

"She was worried about you," he informed him. Even Ryu didn't miss the slightly playful tone in his voice.

James got up and sat beside Ryu, leaving the book on the table. Ryu eyed him suspiciously and moved away a bit.

"I bet you were worried about her, too, huh?" he teased, elbowing the man playfully.

Ryu glared at him in annoyance but said nothing.

"Come on, Ryu, just answer the question." Even Ryan bent down from his bed beside him.

"Ms. Cara's not here anyway," James assured him.

Another one of the more recent members of the group, Cara is the soft-spoken Crystalian who is only a year younger than Ryu. Even though her natural kindness often rendered her helpless in a fight, it was this same kindness that helped Ryu trust and befriend the group despite promising himself to never get close to anyone anymore after his parents' death and his brother's betrayal. Ryu and Cara get along well with each other and Ryu even opened up to her a bit. But even after that, Cara proved too innocent and timid to express her feelings to the man.

On the other hand, thinking that admitting his feelings will only ruin the friendship he has with Cara, Ryu said nothing to the Crystalian as well. When James and Ryan found out about this, they tried to talk him out of it but ended up deciding that it was hopeless. They figured that it was more fun to watch the two of them instead and settled on secretly planning how they can get the two alone together and trying to guess just how long the two can keep on being oblivious to each other.

Ryu paused for a long moment as he studied the two teenagers for a while but then closed his eyes and gave a small grin. Ryan and James got the message almost instantly.

"HA! I knew it!" James exclaimed, jumping up in triumph. Pointing at Ryan, he added, "I told you so."

"Pfft. Whatever."

"So Cara's okay?" Ryu asked again.

"Yeah, she's fine," James assured him again. "Just tell her already!"

Ryu frowned. "Never."

"Come on. It's so obvious!"

"Shut up about that already."

"Hmph. You're just too shy…"

Ryu's eyebrow twitched and he glared James. A split second later, James was running out of the room with Ryu in pursuit behind him.

"Hey! Don't break anything okay? And don't shout so much!" Ryan shouted after them.

"Okay!" James shouted back from downstairs.

_Wow, they're quick,_ Ryan thought. _I just hope my mom doesn't get mad at this._

The Phoenixian shuddered at the thought at what might happen to him but, to be honest, he was kind of amused at the thought of Ryu running around the house probably with something to clobber James with. He would never admit it, but James and Ryu's almost daily antics around the house were something he missed. Ryan at first was scared that Ryu might have seen through James' lie earlier but was glad that the man got distracted. Even if the man did warn him that they shouldn't go there without telling him first, Ryan didn't want Ryu knowing about their plans for tomorrow morning. He thought that Ryu needed to take a rest for a while but, being the stubborn person that he is, Ryu would probably insist on coming along the moment he found out.

_Those two should be back by now,_ Ryan thought.

Sure enough, they both came back a few minutes later with James clutching an ice pack on his head but grinning still and Ryu holding what looked like the notebook Ryan left downstairs. James complained that Ryu was being too violent but the man countered that he wouldn't have ended up that way if the teenager hadn't upset him in the first place.

_I just hope things will turn out okay._

* * *

_-Village of Ace Grace: 4__th__ of July, Tuesday (5:45 AM)-_

"Hey, Ryu! Wake up!"

The Phoenixian groaned and opened his eyes, only to see a pair of blue eyes staring worriedly down at him.

_Varun?_ Was his first thought, and then he saw that the man before him had brown hair. _No, Varun has white hair… Gale?_

Gale is James' father and a skilled Oceanian. He works as an operative in a separate branch of the Hunters that consists almost entirely of humans but works alongside the main force as a special division. He was sent on a mission to escort an ambassador to another city a few weeks ago but came back yesterday.

Ryu jerked in surprise and almost hit the Oceanian in the process.

"Whoa. Hey," Gale exclaimed and moved away. "Sorry I had to wake you up so early."

Gale looked and sounded upset. That wasn't like him. Something happened.

"I thought you were away on a mission," Ryu said as he sat up groggily. He looked at the clock on the wall. "How did you get in here so early in the morning? Even Ryan's not awake at this hour."

"I just got back last night," Gale explained. "I went in through your window. About Ryan, he's not in his room when I checked."

Ryu stopped at the statement and looked at Gale. "What?"

"Ryan's not in his room," Gale repeated. "James wasn't in his room when I checked this morning either. Not even Ivan was there. It's not like James to leave without telling me so I got worried."

"No, no. I meant, how did you climb in through the window?" Ryu explained. He looked around. His window was wide open. "How'd you do that? My room's in the second floor."

Gale rolled his eyes. "There was a ladder outside and everyone else was asleep so they didn't see me. You left your window wide open so it was easy to climb in. But never mind that. Ryan isn't here."

Ryu's eyebrows furrowed in thought. "He's not here? Where could he have gone at this hour?"

"You don't know? Now that's strange. Were they planning to do something today? What happened while I was gone?"

Ryu put a hand to cover his mouth as he tried to recall the events from the day before. "I just got back yesterday so I'm not sure. I told them that Samael's been appearing in the forest more often and he's been attacking the villagers lately. But when I asked Ryan and James, James said they still haven't planned to do anything about that yet."

"James was here yesterday?"

"Yeah. He was with Ryan when I arrived. James said they were talking about Ivan."

"It was James who told you that they weren't going to do anything about Samael? What about Ryan? Wasn't he there too? What did he say?" Gale looked confused now. "How did he react to what James said?"

"Well, he didn't say anything. And I didn't see his face so I'm not sure." Ryu paused for a while. "Now that I think about it, it was strange that Ryan didn't say anything. The disappearances were all over the news so they must have heard about it long before I even arrived. But what does that have to do w—" Ryu stopped in mid-sentence as the realization hit him. If Ryan heard about it, then surely he would've made a decision on the spot. It wasn't like Ryan to leave things like that for a while to even just talk about Ivan. And if Ryan somehow told James not to tell Ryu anything, then—

"It wouldn't be the first time James lied to you, or anyone for that matter," Gale spoke up, as if reading his thoughts.

Ryu slammed his fist to the wall in irritation. This wasn't something he wanted to find out in the morning. "I told him not to go into the forest without telling me!"

"Easy," Gale said, trying to calm the angered Phoenixian. "Ryan was probably just worried about you and thought you needed to rest since you got back just yesterday. He's like that. He probably left early so you wouldn't ask him anything, too. James considers Ryan a leader, so he'll follow whatever Ryan says."

"And James went with him?" Ryu growled.

"I think so," Gale answered, even more worried than before. "I'm not sure about Amara and Naomi, though."

Ryu sighed but got up and made his way to the closet.

"If you're going to get them, I'm coming with you," Gale said.

When Ryu looked back at the Oceanian, Gale was smiling but Ryu could still see faint traces of worry in the Oceanian's eyes. Ryu groaned and started looking for a fresh set of clothes. "Fine. But get out—I have to change first."

* * *

-_Maverick Hunter HQ: 4__th__ of July, Tuesday (6:30 AM)-_

Zero woke up very early in the morning, as usual. He sat up and looked around the room. It was exactly the way he and X left it last night: clean. He and X each had a separate bed: Zero's was the one near the window and X's was one beside it. The only thing separating the two beds was a wooden bedside table with a white table lamp, a few books about wars and conflicts, and a newspaper on top of it. The window was closed and had a white curtain hung over it to match the color of the walls. On the opposite end of the room was the door.

"_It looks too much like it's made for a human. No one will believe this room belongs to us!"_ That's Zero would always say back when the room was newly decorated. But by now, he had far gotten too used to it to complain.

He sighed and lay back down on his bed. He really couldn't understand why X insisted on decorating the room like this. It's not that he doesn't like it. It's just that it looks so… human. They were reploids and nothing can ever change that one fact. So why go through all the trouble to decorate the room when it doesn't really fit in with the occupants' style?

He asked X this question once and X said that he wasn't himself the day the room was decorated. But even with that fact, he still refused to change the look of the room. He just said that he felt like they shouldn't change it. Zero just said that X felt too lazy to change it. But now that he thinks about it, it wasn't like X to be lazy, either. The blue hunter still insists that they shouldn't change the way the room was decorated as well as the few spare rooms they had in the base. He kept saying that maybe they were going to need it someday but Zero really couldn't understand him. It freaked him out a bit but at the same time, it annoyed him to no end. But he trusts X and his friend had proved in more ways than one that the hunter wasn't going mental. So Zero respected his friend's wishes and kept the rooms the way they are.

_Sometimes, I just don't understand him,_ Zero thought to himself.

He thought this over for a moment but then sighed and stood up. He walked towards the window and drew back the curtains to look at the forest.

_I fought in a clearing over there, huh,_ he thought, remembering what X said the day before. _Interesting._

Things have gotten a bit calmer lately. It wasn't a surprise since X had just beaten Sigma and foiled his latest scheme, but who knows how long this lasts until that maverick comes back again? This is why the Maverick Hunters are still on red alert even with the noticeable decrease in maverick activity. They can't let their guard down knowing that Sigma could still be out there licking his wounds and waiting for the right time to strike again.

The thought of Sigma made Zero remember his dream the other night. He didn't have it again last night but Zero found himself wondering who exactly could be worse than Sigma and realizing that he didn't really have an answer. The same man in the X's dream said that Sigma's back as well but Zero didn't really want to believe it.

Zero frowned at his reflection in the window. He was thinking too much.

"Huh…? Oh, hey, Zero. You're early again," X said sleepily as the blue reploid sat up.

"Did I wake you up?" Zero asked without turning to him.

"No, but the sunlight from the open window did," X replied, grinning.

Zero closed the curtains just as what sounded like a distant explosion was heard throughout the room.

"What was that?" X asked, alarmed.

Zero looked out the window and saw a faint trace of smoke rising up from the trees along the border of a nearby forest.

"It came from the edge of the forest," Zero said as he walked towards the door. "I'm gonna go check it out."

"I'm coming with you," X said as he stood up.

"No. You stay," Zero ordered.

"You can't boss me around."

"Actually, I can and I will. I need someone to stay behind to alert the others and inform them where I'm going."

"Oh, so now I'm a messenger boy?"

"Close enough. I'll be back in a few hours."

"Wait!"—Zero teleported away—"Oh man, I hate it when he does that."

X didn't say it but he had a very, very bad feeling about this. Something doesn't feel right. But it doesn't seem important right now. After all, he has a job to do.

* * *

I think this is going to be the shortest chapter in the story. :))


	3. Meet Fighting in the Forest

The longest chapter yet. . It took 11 pages in MS Word.

DISCLAIMER: Do I have to? ._.

* * *

**CHAPTER 3: MEET FIGHTING IN THE FOREST**

_-Forest near the MH HQ: 4__th__ of July, Tuesday (6:35 AM)-_

It didn't take long for Zero to get to his destination. He managed to complete the teleportation just in time to duck down and avoid a tree flying straight towards him. A second look showed him that the tree was pulled off the ground completely with its roots still intact. Zero silently cursed at the close call and made a mental note to not teleport here directly next time anything like this happens.

"They don't pay me enough for this job," Zero grumbled, his reploid version of a human heart beating rapidly from the adrenalin. "Not that it matters anyway. Well, the fun's not far from here. I might as well get moving before it gets worse."

Just as he finished his statement, the explosions started again and he heard a faint scream coming from somewhere in the forest. Without hesitation, he ran to the direction of the voice, only to stop short when he came across an injured teenager lying against a tree. His skin was pale, and his blond hair was messy and stained red. The red t-shirt he wore was torn and several wounds marked his body, some looking fatal. When he went over to take a closer look, Zero realized that the teenager was unconscious but was breathing normally. His most severe injuries included an open head wound and a stab wound on his lower abdomen. The teenager was also slightly feverish.

Zero's touch alerted the teenager. He opened his eyes slightly and tried to look at him.

"Ryu…?" He opened his eyes a bit more but then closed them. "No…"

"Hey, what happened to you?" Zero asked but the teenager only shook his head.

"Mavericks… in the forest…" he struggled to say. "You should… get… out… Sigma… Samael—" He stopped as realized something. "Crap! James!"

With what Zero guessed as a rush of adrenaline, the teenager suddenly stood up and tried to run but his wounded legs couldn't handle the sudden effort and gave way shortly after, making him stumble and wince in pain.

"Hey! You're wounded! You shouldn't move!" Zero advised. _Honestly, humans are so stupid… Wait, Sigma?_

The teenager looked desperately at Zero and tried to say something but ended up coughing blood. He gasped in pain a little as Zero carefully moved him back to his original place by the tree.

"Wait here. I'll get help," the hunter ordered him. But as he stood up, the teenager's uninjured hand shot up and grabbed his.

"Wait, please," the teenager pleaded. Blood trickled down from his lips as he spoke. "Forget… about me. This is all… all my fault. James and… and the others are in the forest… please… help them."

And with that, the boy's hand dropped as he lost consciousness once again. Zero activated the intercom in his helmet.

"This is Zero. Come in, Hunter Base," he said.

At first, there was static on the other end of the line. Then the static cleared and X's voice spoke up.

"_Zero? This is X. Come in, Zero."_

"X? Where's Alia?" Zero asked. Normally, Alia would be the one working as a navigator on missions like this. So why is X on the other line?

There was a brief silence on X's end then, _"I don't know. We can't find her anywhere. I'll be your navigator for a while in her place since the other navigators are busy. The alarm went off shortly after you left so pretty much everyone here knows what's going on. Unit #00 has been dispatched, as well as the medical team. They're moving around the forest now. It seems that mavericks have appeared without getting picked up on our radar somehow. A number of humans have been found in the forest as well. Most of them are dead, the rest are dying. They all have slash wounds directed at weak points on their bodies. It doesn't look like the work of a maverick."_

Zero cursed under his breath. How could this have happened so close to the base? "I found an injured teenager here; Blonde hair, around five and a half feet tall. He has a head wound and a stab wound as well, among other injuries. By the looks of it, he's lost a lot of blood."

"_Roger that. I'm sending your coordinates to the med team now,"_ X replied. _"I'm detecting abnormal energy readings not too far ahead of you. You remember the clearing I told you about the other day? It's right there. I'm detecting a few more humans as well, though there doesn't seem to be any mavericks nearby."_

"All right. I'm heading there now." And with that, Zero deactivated the intercom. He took one last look at the sleeping teenager before heading out towards the direction of the voice again. Not five minutes have passed when X suddenly spoke up again.

"_Zero? Something's heading fast in your direction!" _he warned.

Zero stopped and tensed as he saw a small figure running towards him. His hand reached for his saber but as soon as he saw that it was just a little kid, he relaxed and put down his hand. The kid stopped right in front of Zero and looked up in surprise. He looked almost exactly like the teenager Zero left behind a while ago.

"Huh? Who are you, mister?" the boy asked. "Have you seen big brother? He's hurt and Mr. Ryu told me to look for him quickly."

"Err…" Zero stammered. The boy looked really worried. "What does he look like?"

"Um… He has blonde hair, green eyes, fair skin… He looks like me but he's older and much taller."

"Yeah, I saw him. He was sleeping over there. I've told the medics where he is. They should have found him by now."

"He is? Thank you, mister… whoever you are!" the kid shouted as he ran off towards the direction Zero pointed.

As Zero watched the kid, he felt that something was wrong with the kid. But he soon pushed the thought away and turned back. The kid looked normal enough and he had more important matters to attend to. The explosions were starting again.

That was when he saw something glint in the shadows. A knife? No, a gun. But it wasn't directed at him so who…?

"Hey, kid! Look out!" Zero exclaimed as the man aimed.

Zero shielded the kid with his body just in time as the man fired. The bullet from the gun dented his armor a bit but it was nothing for a hardened hunter like him. He looked back at the man only to see the injured teenager grabbing the gun and punching the guy hard in the face. The guy dropped the gun and the teenager walked towards them muttering something about 'no good Tynans'. But when he looked at Zero, he grinned like nothing happened.

"Thank you for protecting Ivan for me," he said.

"Big brother! You're okay!" the kid said, running towards the teenager and hugging his leg. "Huh? Why are there bandages all over you?"

"The medics got to you in time?" Zero asked.

"Yeah. They sure work fast. I guess I owe you one," the teenager replied, scratching his head. "Although I did tell you to just forget about me. By the way, my name's Ryan."

The teenager offered his hand to Zero for the standard handshake but Zero didn't take it. The hunter simply stood up and stared.

"Why are you still here then? Don't you know what's going on?" he demanded.

Ryan frowned and dropped his hand. His voice sounded more serious when he spoke up. "I know. I told you, didn't I? All this is my fault. By the way—" Ryan looked away. "—Those medics of yours. I'm sure Mr. Gale knows the difference by now but James isn't used to them yet. He might mistake them for mavericks if they're not careful."

"_What does he mean by that?"_ Zero overheard X say quietly on the other end of the intercom.

Convinced that the situation was getting weirder each passing moment, Zero could only raise an eyebrow at the teenager. But before he could ask anything, another explosion shook the forest.

"RYU!" Ryan exclaimed, running off to the direction of the clearing.

"Big brother!" Ivan cried out, running after him.

"_What was that all about?"_ X asked.

"I don't know," Zero replied. "Has the medical unit found anything?"

"_Well, among a few more dead people and mavericks, there were two more humans who didn't seem to belong to those found earlier. The father was awake and only had minor injuries but his son was unconscious and in pretty bad shape. But just as they were going to transport him to a hospital, he woke up and started attacking the med unit. It took a tranquilizer and the help of his dad to calm him down. Even after that, according to the med unit, he ran off saying that he needed to look for a certain Naomi. The dad apologized and followed. He said that we were too late, though, and that Sigma's escaped."_

Zero stopped at the name. Ryan mentioned Sigma, too. So the maverick HAD come back. Zero sighed. Even he could feel X's dismay just by listening to his voice.

"What about Unit #00?" Zero asked. Maverick Hunter Unit #00 is a special division consisting of saber and buster units specially trained by Zero himself.

"_More and more mavericks are appearing. They're doing they're best to clear the forest but they just keeping popping up everywhere. The numbers are decreasing, though. It won't be long before we secure the forest."_

"Good. Tell them to be careful. I have a feeling there's more to this than just Sigma."

"_Roger that."_

"Over and out," Zero said, deactivating the intercom again.

Right after that, he started to hear the faint sound of a battle nearby.

"It just keeps getting better and better," he commented sarcastically before running off in that direction.

Just as the clearing was coming into view, he vaguely saw what looked like Ryan fighting a black-haired man in a sword fight. Ivan, however, was nowhere to be found.

The clearing was a wide circle with a diameter of at least a kilometer. Evergreen trees and thick shrubs lined the edges while heather and wild roses and flowers filled the clearing itself. Ryan, Samael, and now Zero were at the north end of the clearing.

He arrived just as Ryan staggered when the man blocked his attack and the man hit him hard on the head. Ryan fell to the ground and the man positioned his sword to stab him there. But just as the man brought his sword down, Ryan rolled just barely out of the way and kicked the man in the arm, causing the man to stagger momentarily. Ryan used the time to pick up his sword and stand up. The teenager tried to land an attack on the man but the man jumped back and countered Ryan with his own. Ryan quickly dodged but instead of countering, he added a bit more distance between the two of them.

Zero stared in shock at the man—he was the same one who had been appearing in his dreams until two days ago! Except that his eyes were red instead of brown, and he was wearing a black cloak.

The hunter winced. Had he been tricked? He didn't like the sound of that.

"What's going on here?" he demanded.

Ryan turned to look at him and then cried out in pain as the man stabbed him in the leg. He pulled away from the sword just before the black-haired man swung his sword horizontally, as if he had meant to cut Ryan's leg completely off. Ryan staggered backwards and fell to the ground, gasping in pain. The man positioned again to stab Ryan down. This time, Ryan's distraction earlier had cost the teenager his only means of escape.

Zero cursed and dashed forward to block the attack. The man looked at him paused and looked at him for a split second as if he hadn't noticed Zero until that moment, but quickly recovered and jumped back. He didn't look surprised that the hunter appeared. In fact, he didn't seem to show any emotion at all. He stood still as he studied Zero for a moment but then positioned himself for another attack.

"Be careful: he's a lot stronger than he looks," Ryan managed to warn him. "I would love to help you, but I can't even move from where I am."

"I know," Zero answered as the man managed to parry a blow from the hunter without any visible signs of effort.

"_Zero, what's going on? I'm detecting an abnormal energy reading right in front of you, but it stopped moving,"_ X spoke up.

"I'll talk to you later, X. I'm in a kind of sticky situation right now," Zero replied and turned his intercom off before X could reply.

_Now that I think about it, _Zero thought. _How can such a primitive looking sword hold out against a beam saber?_

The man was holding what looked like a Chinese Dao. It was made of steel and slightly curved near blade's tip. Zero didn't know much about it but from the looks of it guessed that it's used primarily for slicing. But after remembering what the man did to Ryan earlier, Zero guessed that it could be used for stabbing as well.

Either way, Zero was going to have to worry about that later. He was in a middle of a fight, after all. And he had questions to ask.

"You're the man that appeared in my dream the other day. Who are you?" Zero demanded as he blocked another swing from the man.

The man only looked at him in reply and charged at him for another attack, which Zero blocked.

"His name's Samael, but I doubt he can tell you that even if he wanted to," Ryan spoke up. He had ripped a part of his shirt and made an improvised bandage for his leg. But the pain was too much for him and he lay down on the grass, unable to move.

"What do you mean?"

"I… I can't explain. I'm too dizzy."

"Hey, hang in there," Zero exclaimed, realizing that the teenager was already losing a lot of blood.

"I wish I could. But it seems that the fight opened up my wounds again," Ryan muttered, closing his eyes.

Zero cursed. He had to end this fight soon but Samael would either block or dodge all his attacks. Zero could do the same thing with Samael but he couldn't do anything too big since he might end up hurting Ryan as well. He sensed that Samael was also holding back for some reason but sooner or later, one of them would have to give. Zero hoped that it wouldn't be him.

_I can't attack a human, but…_ Zero held his beam saber behind his back as he charged it up for Raijingeki. Samael also positioned himself for an attack. As soon as Samael charged at him, Zero executed the technique. But at the last second, Samael dodged to the left.

_Crap! Ryan!_ Zero thought as he turned back to the teenager.

He saw a strange blur out of the corner of his eye opposite from where Samael was coming from and suddenly, Samael was there, kneeling with his sword in the ground where Ryan should have been. Zero looked towards where he saw the blur and saw a man standing meters away—at the opposite edge of the clearing—from them with the unconscious Ryan in his arms. The man had a more golden shade of blonde hair as opposed to Ryan and was a lot older and had blue eyes. He was uninjured and he looked just about angry enough to take on an army by himself. He had a sword—a Zweihander by the looks of it—on his back. Its sheath was secured by a belt that went over his shoulder and his waist at the opposite side. The man laid Ryan against a tree. It was then that Ivan appeared beside a girl around Ryan's age. She had brown eyes and a long light brown hair tied back into a ponytail. The man said something to her and she nodded. Ivan went back inside the bushes, probably to hide.

_A blonde guy with a big sword and a red eyed man, _Zero mused. _Where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, X said he saw them fight in this clearing in his dream. If that's so, then 'Iris' will be appearing soon. _

For some reason, Zero had mixed feelings about that.

Samael stood up and looked at them, yet seemed unsurprised still at the newcomer, just as he had with Zero. Then, Samael bent down with his sword positioned to strike. And then, he was gone. One second, he was just there, and then he was running towards the blonde man the next. The man unsheathed his own sword and charged up to Samael as well. They met halfway towards each other and their blades clashed together. Zero felt the shockwave from the impact even from where he was standing.

"Mr. Ryu!" Ryan shouted at the blond man, suddenly healed of his injuries.

"Stay out of this!" the man shouted back, and Zero saw Ryan cringe at the anger in the man's voice.

Zero ran to where the two was but Ryu glared at him as well.

"Stay out of this too, hunter," he growled threateningly.

Zero frowned but backed away. The man looked like someone even Zero wouldn't want to mess with when he's mad. Ryu looked back at Samael and, with a sudden strength, followed through with his strike, sending Samael away. Samael flipped right before he hit the ground and landed on his feet. He used his momentum to charge at Ryu again, his sword right in front of him. Ryu dodged to the right and roundhouse kicked Samael in the back, still leading him away from where Ryan and the girl were.

All of a sudden, Samael pointed his sword to the sky and a dark aura surrounded him and gathered at his sword. Seeing this, Ryu positioned his sword for an upward strike and flames started to gather around _his_ sword. Samael swung down, sending the black aura to Ryu in a wild arc, at the same time Ryu jumped up while swinging his sword, much like how Zero executes his Ryuenjin, and sent a fiery arc to counter Samael's attack.

The two arcs collided and cancelled each other out with an explosion. Zero held his beam saber in front of him for defense and he saw Ryan shield the girl with him. When the fire disappeared, Zero saw that Samael and Ryu were at it again, striking at each other, looking for an opening or a weakness.

"_Zero! What's going on?" _X demanded_. "There was an explosion in your area!"_

"I'm not sure," was all Zero could say.

The two were evenly matched, Zero realized as he watched their crazy sword dance play. Both of them were faster than they looked, and were good with their respective weapons. Whenever Samael would attack, Ryu would dodge and counter with an attack of his own. Ryu's attacks were slow, but proved too strong for Samael to just block, forcing the man to move out of the way. Samael's attacks were faster, but seemed so predictable that Ryu could easily find an opening to block or evade. For a moment, Zero thought that this would go on forever. But he knew that just like in his fight with Samael earlier, one of them would have to give.

And while power and predictability were Samael's weakness, Ryu's downfall seemed to be his speed and motivation. He looked as though he had no intention of defeating Samael and was just trying to talk Samael out of something while defending himself from him at the same time.

"Samael!" Ryu was crying out. "Why are you on Sigma's side?"

But all the while, Samael kept silent, and his face kept blank.

"What's the status on the med team and Unit #00?" Zero asked X. His reply overlapped with commotion from the ongoing battle.

"_The med team finished their search around the forest, though they couldn't reach the clearing for some reason. They reported 8 dead, and 2 injured, including the kid who attacked them before. It seems that he found Naomi before he gave in to the tranquilizer..."_

The breaking point came when Ryu hesitated. Everyone knows that you can't defeat an opponent as strong as you are by fighting him half-heartedly. Samael had charged at him but Ryu dodged just enough to the right and hit him hard on the back. When Samael staggered to the ground after that, Ryu could have finished him off. But he didn't. On the contrary, he even looked panicked at what he had done to the man.

"… _They were both found unconscious and badly injured and were taken back to the base for immediate treatment. They didn't see the boy's father, though…"_

"Samael!" Ryu exclaimed.

"…_Unit #00 is just finishing up on the mavericks…"_

Samael suddenly slashed at Ryu, catching him off guard and wounding him across the chest. Ryu staggered backwards and fell to the ground. Zero stepped forward, but Ryu still glared at him.

"… _They'll be joining you soon."_

"Don't you know what that maverick's been doing?" Ryu cried out as Samael approached him. "You're just going to stay by his side and let him use you? Or did Seth tell you to cooperate with him?"

The black-haired man didn't stop or show any signs that he acknowledged what Ryu said. Ryu shut his eyes and hung his head in defeat and dismay.

"Seth doesn't care about you at all, Samael!" he shouted. "Otherwise, he wouldn't have let your mother die the way she did!"

At the statement, Samael's eyes twitched and he stopped. Ryu sensed his hesitation and looked up with a slight twinge of hope in his eyes.

But all Samael did was stop and he started walking again, raising his sword for a final blow. Ryu cursed and started to move away.

"Ryu!" a woman's voice cried out from a distance, opposite from where Ryan was. "Stop it, please, Samael!"

All three of them turned to see a woman, probably in her mid-twenties like Ryu, emerge from the bushes at the edge of the clearing. Zero nearly choked at the sight of her. X was right: she did look like Iris. But she was a human, wasn't she? Besides, wasn't Iris already dead?

Nearly all of Zero's questions died down the moment Ryu shouted at the woman.

"Stay back, Cara!" he yelled.

Zero calmed down, realizing that he had been tense. So she wasn't Iris at all. At least he knew that much.

As soon as Samael saw her, he stopped his advance and the strangest look came over his face. Zero suddenly remembered what X said was going to happen.

_Iris ran to them and tried to ask them to stop but the black-haired guy got her._

Zero started running towards the woman. She wasn't Iris but Zero was sure as hell not going to let her get caught. Samael saw him and headed towards Cara with an amazing speed. Ryu saw what Samael was intending to do and started running towards her too. Samael was nearer to Cara than Zero was and got to her first. The woman screamed as he held a blade against her throat. Ryu stopped and muttered a curse. Zero winced and stopped as well.

"Move and she dies," Samael said with a flat voice as a dark aura started to surround them both. A shadow with red eyes appeared right beside Samael and said, "She's going with us back home."

Ryu couldn't hold it in.

"You bastard!" he shouted at the shadow. "Leave Cara and Samael alone! If you hurt her, I'll…"

The dark was already halfway from covering them up and Samael, the shadow and Cara started disappearing. The shadow laughed.

"You'll what?" he asked.

"I'll kill you!"

The shadow just laughed even more. "You're welcome to try anytime, Ryu. We'll be waiting for you."

"Coward! Come out and fight fair!"

The dark finally engulfed them. But just before they disappeared completely, something small and white fluttered away from them and Zero could have sworn he saw Samael's eyes widen slightly in shock and fear, showing Zero the only change in his expression since the hunter started fighting with him. Ryu appeared to have seen it too.

"Samael! Cara!" he cried out just as they vanished.

"In the meantime, have fun staying alive," the shadow's voice spoke up, just as fifteen, no, twenty humans and a few mavericks surrounded them in the clearing. "As for you, Zero…"

Zero looked up in surprise at his name.

"Sigma has other matters to deal with right now, but he's asked me to tell you, 'I'm back'."

"Tell him I'll just kick his butt again," Zero replied. "And for good, this time."

Ryu cursed out loud. Zero looked over to where Ryan was and saw that he was standing protectively in front of the girl and had drawn his sword as well. Zero then readied his saber but then Ryan shouted out to Ryu.

"Ryu! NO!" he cried out just as flames started encircling Ryu. The flames got bigger and then they were absorbed into Ryu's body.

There was a second's worth of silence wherein Ryan shielded the girl with his body from Ryu's direction.

And then an explosion erupted with Ryu as its epicenter. Zero shielded himself with his saber as he felt the explosion reach him. It lasted for around two seconds, then it faded, leaving the humans dead and the mavericks heavily damaged. Ryan, the girl, and Zero, on the other hand, were unhurt. And when Zero looked, he saw that Ryu was unhurt as well.

"_Zero! Are you okay?" _X cried out. _"A lot of mavericks suddenly appeared and are heading fast to the clearing! Unit #00's on its way as well! They'll arrive in less than five seconds!"_

As if on cue, twenty more mavericks have appeared all throughout the edge of the clearing. Ryu cursed and drew out his sword but stopped and fell to the ground, clutching at the wound Samael had inflicted to him in pain. But just before the mavericks started to attack, Zero saw one member of his unit in the background nearby. If one of them is here, then that means…

"Unit #00, open fire!" Zero ordered. "Don't hit any humans!"

His unit obeyed immediately, killing off fifteen in one attack. The rest were taken out quickly by Ryu and Ryan. One of members went out and saluted Zero.

"Scan the forest again," Zero ordered. "Make sure not one maverick is left."

The member nodded and then ran back into the forest. There was another second's silence and then Ryu relaxed his position.

"Oh. Was I too late?" a voice unfamiliar to Zero asked from Ryan's direction.

Ryu and Zero turned to see a man emerge from the bushes near Ryan and the girl. He was as tall as Ryu and had brown hair and blue eyes. He had a slight smile on his face. Zero recognized him as the man who was sent to escort the city ambassador to the neighboring Whitmore city a few weeks ago but that was all the hunter knew of him.

"Where have you been, Gale?" Ryu demanded.

"I was looking for James and Amy," the man replied coolly, as if he was used to the other man's anger. "James was in a pretty bad shape. I hear that he and Naomi were sent to that hunter base for treatment."

"And Amy?"

A girl around Ivan's age emerged from the bushes next to Gale. Her light brown hair was tied back in low pigtails and her brown eyes looked innocent, much like Ivan's did. Ryu sheathed his sword and went up to Ryan, who was sitting beside the girl he had shielded awhile ago. He grabbed Ryan's shirt, lifted him off his feet, and slammed him against the tree.

"Amara healed you so I have no reason to hold back," Ryu growled. "How many times have I told you to tell me first before going into the forest? Now look at what's happened! What do you have to say for yourself?"

Ryan cowered in fright but then he lowered his head and said, "I'm sorry. This is all my fault."

"To hell with that," Ryu retorted. "I don't care if you're the leader or not. If this happens AGAIN, I'll… I'll make you wish it was Samael who got you instead!"

Ryan's eyes widened in fear at the threat. Ryu dropped Ryan and turned to Zero, who frowned.

"And you! Where _were_ you when Sigma was here?" he demanded.

Zero glared at him, annoyed at being the target of the man's anger. But before he could retort, Gale stepped in between them.

"Now, now, calm down," he urged Ryu, still smiling. "Threats aren't going to help anyone. Sigma had Samael's help and we know how easy it is for him to hide Sigma's location from the Maverick Hunters. It may have been Sigma in front of us but to their radars, he could have just shown up as some regular passerby, if he had shown up in the radar at all. Samael did that countless times before, so it's not exactly new. They were probably aware that something was going on only after the explosions started. By then, it would have been too late."

Ryu glared at the man but nevertheless worked to calm himself down. Gale turned to Zero.

"Sorry about that," he apologized. "You are Zero, right? The leader of Special Unit #00 and one of the two famous hunters who took down Sigma each time he appeared. I am Gale Dalen, a member in the Hunter Infantry Division, Southern district. It's an honor to finally meet you."

"You're that officer who was sent with the ambassador to Whitmore City," Zero said. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you report your return to your superiors?"

Gale looked surprised at the statement but his smile didn't falter. "Ah. I thought I saw you at the briefing. I just got back yesterday. The city said that it was willing to help with the defenses. As to why I'm here…" Gale paused and put a hand to his chin to think. "… I suppose you could say that I'm here to make sure Ryan and Ryu here don't kill themselves."

"I can take care of myself," Ryu protested but Gale only grinned and said, "Yeah, right."

"You're too late though," Gale said, turning back to Zero. "Sigma got away. Your navigator… Alia, was it? It seems Samael went inside the base and took her away. I don't know why, though. I'm guessing it's because she had already guessed that something was going on in the forest earlier this morning and he took her so she wouldn't have to warn you about it. I don't know how he did it, though. But don't worry—I think Samael freed her once the explosions started. She's probably back at the base now, talking to the others."

"Be it that as it may. You all saw what exactly happened in the forest. Why don't all of you come back with me to the base?" Zero suggested. "We'll talk there."

* * *

OTL


	4. Meet the Truth in Allies

Finally, they're in one place now. ._. This one took weeks to write. It's all talk because this is the chapter where I have to explain what happened in the forest (which was confusing even for me).

* * *

**CHAPTER 4: MEET THE TRUTH IN ALLIES**

_-Maverick Hunter HQ: 4__th__ of July, Tuesday (10:30 AM)-_

It was like a huge labyrinth.

That was what Ivan thought of the Hunter Base after spending the last half hour wandering around its steel, almost monochromatic corridors. There were many different reploids going around the base but none paid any real attention to him as they went along their duties. There also didn't seem to be any other humans aside from Ryan and the others who went with him, though most reploids in the base looked like humans clad in armor.

Ivan nearly yelped as he almost collided with a white and green reploid that he had seen once in the medical bay. The reploid, however, didn't seem to notice him and continued walking. Ivan's eyes trailed the reploid until he disappeared around the corner. It may be just because he was small, but the reploids in the base were huge, towering over him like giants. It was intimidating.

Once he calmed down, Ivan looked around again. He was bored but at the same time, too scared to do anything that would attract any sort of attention to him. Ryan always told him not to wander around alone in an unfamiliar place but what was he to do? Everyone else was off doing something else. According to Amara, Ryan, Mr. Gale, and Mr. Ryu were in a room somewhere in the base discussing the events in the forest with X, Zero, and two other hunters, namely Signas—supposedly the commander of all the hunters—and Alia, the navigator who went missing during the confrontation in the forest. James and Naomi were currently recuperating in the medical bay, with Amara and Amy watching after them. Now Ivan found himself trying to decide whether to go to the briefing room, to where Ryan was, or to the medical bay, where Amy was. He pursed his lips as he pondered over the choices. If he went to the briefing room now, Ryan may tolerate him but Mr. Ryu will probably give the kid grief for disrupting something important.

Wait, if Signas was the leader of all the hunters, then how come the hunters at the clearing obeyed Zero when he ordered them to fire? Come to think about it, Mr. Gale did mention something about Zero being a leader too. Ivan frowned as he stood there, distracted yet again by the thought. That wouldn't make sense. How could people obey two leaders at once? What if Signas ordered them to do one thing, but then Zero would make them do the opposite? What would happen then? Who would they follow? If they followed one, then they would surely get punished for disobeying the other, and that would be unfair.

Ivan sighed in defeat. It was beyond him to understand military things so maybe he would just go and ask Signas, Zero, or maybe even Mr. Gale about that once their discussion was over. For now, it was off to the medical bay—if he manages to find his way there.

_-MH HQ, Commander's office: 4__th__ of June, Tuesday (10:35 AM)-_

"So by the time Zero arrived, Sigma was already gone from the forest?" Signas asked.

"That's right," Gale answered, taking on the formal tone he uses when on duty. "Samael was responsible for hiding him from the radars. Even so, Alia must have noticed something unusual and Samael was forced to kidnap her so the hunters wouldn't be alarmed before they were."

The commander's office was a bit small, but enough to accommodate the three humans, and four reploids. Ryan sat directly in front of Signas with Gale at his left and Ryu at his right. Signas, on the other hand, was flanked by X on the left, and Zero on the right. While the three humans were seated, the only one not standing among the hunters on the other side of the table was Signas. X, Zero, and Signas wore almost identical serious expressions on their faces. Being the only one intimidated by the presence of the commander and his two best hunters, Ryan, to his credit, looked calm. Gale, who was used to meetings like this, had a polite smile that he wore almost every time he was on duty, while Ryu looked just looked slightly frustrated, which was entirely normal for the man. Alia was with the group just a while ago to confirm what exactly happened to her before the explosions happened but then left after that.

"What would Sigma be doing in the forest?" X questioned, a bit of dismay showing in his voice.

"I'm not sure. When James and I met him, he said that he had a score to settle with the hunters but before that, there was something he had to do," Ryan spoke up. "We tried fighting him, but then Samael showed up and said that Amara, Amy, and Naomi were sleeping somewhere in the forest and if we don't do something, some wolf might get to them first. Ivan arrived after that, and both he and James went off to find them while I stayed behind to distract Samael. By that time, Sigma had disappeared."

"So why were you at the edge of the forest when I arrived?" Zero asked.

"Err… To put it lightly, Samael beat me up but Mr. Ryu arrived before he could finish me off."

"I thought you said you were with Gale when you arrived." Zero now turned to the older Phoenixian.

"Yeah, but Gale went off to look for James," the man answered. "Ivan had already found Amy and Amara and James was looking for Naomi. But before Gale and James could find her, they came across a few mavericks and Tynans they had to fight to pass."

Gale flinched at the memory. Being the one more used to fighting when outnumbered, he got off with minor wounds but his son was injured so badly that if the medic team hadn't arrived when they did, he would have died on the spot.

"But…" Zero spoke up again, looking confused. "That wouldn't make sense. When I got to the clearing, only Ryan was there."

Ryu sighed in slight frustration at having to talk so much. "I was too close to the last explosion. I got blown away. I lost consciousness for a short while."

"I see... And after that, Samael left with Cara to who knows where?" Zero finished.

Ryu tensed visibly at the statement but otherwise remained calm. Ryan place a comforting hand on his shoulder but Ryu, who was apparently still angry, shook it off.

Signas sighed and leaned back, his serious expression turning into one of distress. "This is bad. Not only is Sigma back again, but it seems that he's teamed up with, according to what you're saying, a human armed to the teeth with magic that we have no means to defend ourselves against."

"And Sigma seems to have borrowed a bit of power from Samael as well," Gale added. "Although, I think X and Zero can handle him just fine when it really comes down to it."

"How can we stand up against Sigma when he's armed with something we can't defend ourselves against?" X asked. His worry was evident in his voice. Ryu opened his mouth to talk but Zero beat him to it.

"Gale, could you…"

Everyone turned at Zero but the hunter's voice trailed off. Zero's face was serious and thoughtful but he seemed to be hesitating.

"What is it?" Gale asked, curious at the expression on the red hunter's face.

Zero's frown deepened but he nevertheless continued, "Could you… explain to me about the… clans again?"

Gale blinked in surprise. "What brought that on?"

When Zero remained silent, his eyebrows furrowed in thought, Gale just sighed. "All right. But I'll make it quick. First, there are six clans: Phoenixians, Oceanians, Zephyrians, Gaeans, Crystalians, and Tynans. Each of the clans has an element that they can use.

"Phoenixians, like Ryan and Ryu, can control fire. As such, they can't be burnt, whether you use a normal flame or a magical one. They can withstand extremely hot temperatures and their normal body temperature is also higher than normal so, to normal humans, they always feel feverish. A Phoenixian's techniques are mostly for attacking since they can't use healing magic very well.

"Oceanians, like me, use water, so they're almost the complete opposite of Phoenixians. They can breathe underwater and aren't affected by water pressure at all. They can stand cold temperatures and they don't suffer from frostbite. An Oceanian's normal body temperature is colder than normal. Oceanians normally focus on defending people so they're not one for attacking. If an Oceanian is especially strong, they can make ice out of water, too, since they can control water temperature at will.

"Zephyrians, like young Ivan, use wind or air or whatever. They're mostly normal except that they're faster but physically weaker than all the other clans and, because they can manipulate air, they can fly. Their reaction times are faster than all the other clans so far. Like Oceanians, if a Zephyrian is especially strong, then they can even use lightning but I have yet to see one who can do that. Ivan is still too young so he can't yet.

"Gaeans, like Naomi, represent earth. They're by far the closest to normal humans among all the other clans. They can talk to earth and control plants. You can't poison a Gaean but I don't know why. They're not exactly immune to them but their bodies counteract any poison in their bodies really quickly.

"Crystalians use light. Don't ask me how; they just do. They're the best among the clans when it comes to healing magic but they're weak against any kind of attack. They can dispel any kind of magic. They can defend really well too but they can use any kind of offensive attacks at all. Oh, and the flash from a stun grenade or anything like that don't work against them.

Gale frowned before continuing. "Lastly, Tynans represent darkness and they're the complete opposite of Crystalians. Their powers are mostly defensive with a little bit of trickery squeezed in. They can curse other people and can cast illusions. They see well in the dark and can disappear in the shadows. Think ninjas, if you will, only on a higher level. Because the people who started this trouble with the Elementals are Tynans, there's a notion going around that Tynans are all bad people. While this isn't really too far off, it isn't necessarily true either." Gale ended his speech with a shrug and a slightly disgusted look at his last sentence.

"You talk as if the clans are divided," Signas observed. "Why is this?"

Gale looked down. His voice took on a more serious mood when he answered. "People think the clans represent the power of the elements but that's not all. The division between the clans also shows an inequality with the elements. If you look at it one way, all of the clans are different parts of something big, but when you look at it in another way, the clans are just that: different. It's a bit like discrimination on a lower level. That's why there are separate clans."

"Now," Gale said as he looked directly at Zero. "What brought your question on?"

Zero stayed silent for a while as he thought about how to answer the man's question. Ryu and Ryan looked like they were having a slight headache from Gale's explanation while X and Signas looked on blankly as they tried to process the information.

"So this Samael is a Tynan?" Zero inquired, still not answering Gale's question.

"Yeah. And a powerful one at that," Gale replied with his usual polite smile in his face.

"Is there any chance at all that Tynans can appear in dreams of someone else?"

Gale drew back at the question, his eyes wide in surprise. Ryu looked up at Zero at that, his eyes narrowed in suspicion at Zero's face. X was just as surprised at the question as Gale was. Signas looked thoughtful. Ryan, on the other hand, just looked confused.

"Why do you ask?" Gale asked carefully. "Did something happen?"

Zero hesitated, looking at X, but then sighed and said, "For the last few days, a man has been appearing in my dreams. He looks exactly like Samael except that his eyes are brown instead of black. Usually, he just stands there and looks at me but just yesterday night, he warned me that someone worse than Sigma is after me and X. I didn't believe it at first but after seeing Samael in the clearing, I doubt it was just some random chance. I thought you might have something to say about this."

Silence reigned in the room. For the first time since the beginning of the meeting, Gale looked troubled. Ryu looked especially furious at the statement. But before anyone could break the silence, the door opened and then closed. All the occupants in the room turned but no one seems to have gone in.

"Huh? Where am I?" Ivan spoke up. "Am I lost?"

"That depends, Ivan," Ryan answered with a hint of amusement in his voice. "Where are you headed to this time?"

"I was heading to the infirmary," Ivan answered, looking at Ryan. "But I think I took the wrong turn somewhere."

X and Zero looked at each other while Signas and Ryu just sighed. This is the third time the kid arrived in the room with the same destination in mind. Gale only grinned, plainly amused at the kid.

"Well, why don't you escort him to the infirmary, Ryu?" the Oceanian suggested. "Take your time. You look like you need to cool off anyway."

Ryu looked like he was about to protest but something in the way Gale looked at him made him stop and stand up in compliance.

"Fine. Let's go, brat," Ryu muttered at Ivan as he lead him out of the.

"Why'd you send him out?" Ryan asked as soon as Ryu closed the door behind him.

"I don't want to discuss Samael with him in the room," Gale replied simply. Turning to Zero, he asked, "Are you sure the man looked like Samael?"

"Except for the red eyes, yes," Zero answered.

"Red eyes are a sign of a curse," Gale stated. "I heard from Ryu that Samael's eyes used to be brown, like his mother's. But then when he started attacking us, his eyes turned red."

"So…" Zero prompted.

"So it is possible that it was Samael who visited you," Gale concluded.

"Wait," Ryan spoke up. "I know Tynans can visit dreams but I thought they could only visit those who are directly related to them. Zero can't possibly be a Tynan descendant, much less related to Samael."

Gale didn't seem fazed by this and instead turned to Zero, "Did he say anything else to you?"

Zero looked down and thought for a moment, "He said something about a certain his majesty killing him for talking too much."

The look in both Gale's and Ryan's eyes tightened by just the tiniest bit at this but Gale continued as if it was nothing, "Does anything else happen in your dream before or after he appears?"

"… Before he appears, I find myself lying down in something. I can't see anything but I hear footsteps coming and voice belonging to two people other than Samael. I'm familiar with one of them but the other one…"

Zero's voice trailed off for a bit. Gale tilted his head to the side in wonder. "Does anything happen during that time?"

"I feel someone touching my hand and I suddenly feel cold," Zero continued, feeling slightly stupid by the statement. "It goes away after a while and then that's when Samael appears."

Ryan looked at Gale nervously. Gale looked at him for a moment and then nodded as if answering an unspoken question.

"It's possible," the man said. "Samael may have transferred a bit of his magic to you and that made the necessary connection to be able to wander into your dreams like that."

"So Zero's half Tynan?" Ryan asked just as the door opened and Ryu walked in.

"And Phoenixian," Gale added. When Ryan stared at him, he said, "Samael isn't a pure Tynan remember? He's half of both. It's just that he uses his Tynan side so much that the Phoenixian side of him was eventually overpowered but that doesn't mean it's not there anymore."

"Well, if the hunter's half Phoenixian, then that would explain why he wasn't affected by my attacks at all," Ryu remarked.

Zero and everyone else stared. Ryu frowned at Zero.

"You think that saber would be enough to completely block an explosion like the one I made? Don't be ridiculous!" he exclaimed.

"When did you get here?" Ryan asked, earning a hit on the head by Ryu.

"That doesn't matter," the older Phoenixian replied. "What matters is that Samael has obviously been up to something concerning the hunters."

"What about X?" Zero asked. "He said he dreamed about the fight in the clearing just the day before it actually happened."

Everyone else in the room except for X looked surprised at that.

"Crystalian…?" Ryan guessed. "Or maybe Oceanian?"

"Or maybe both," Gale concluded. "So you aren't as defenseless against Samael as you thought you were after all."

"Wait a minute!" X protested. "I mean, even if everything you said was true, neither Zero nor I know how to use these, um… powers. And we're not even sure what kind of, um, magic I can do."

"It's easy to learn," Gale said, earning a glare from Zero and Ryu.

"It's not," Ryu spoke up. "You of all people should know leaving them like this will probably be the death of them when they face against Samael next time."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Zero demanded.

Ryu sighed but it was Ryan who spoke up. "While each clan has their strengths, they each have weaknesses too. Samael is exceptionally good at exploiting those weaknesses so—" Ryu looked at X. "—it would be best if you don't use them unless it's really necessary. If Samael handed his powers down to Zero, then he would know what Zero's capable of. He's the same as Zero too so I don't think there's anything he can do against him. X, you, on the other hand, is the exact opposite of Zero so he's at a disadvantage. Or YOU would be, if you're not careful."

It was the longest speech Ryu had done ever since he arrived at the base and everyone stared at him, surprise evident on their faces. This had Ryu miffed.

"What?" he growled, uncomfortable with the amount of attention he was having.

Gale sighed and gave a small smile. "I guess you're right," he conceded. "But can we do? We have our hands full with Samael as it is. We can't possibly handle Sigma too."

"Then how about we work together?" X suggested. Looking at Signas, he stammered, "Err. Well, if you approve of it, sir."

Signas looked at him wordlessly for a moment and then turned his attention to Gale.

"That's not a bad idea," he said finally. "Since Samael and Sigma are now working together, it would be best if we work together against them as well. But this is only if you're willing to go with it."

The commander looked questioningly at Gale, who turned to Ryan.

"It's not my place to decide that," the Oceanian said. "What do you say, Ryan?"

Zero looked at Ryan in surprise. After what happened between the teenager and Ryu in the clearing and with the way he had been acting throughout the meeting, Ryan didn't strike him to be the leader of such a group. Even as Gale asked the question, Ryan was fretting in his seat and looking down, clearly unsure of the decision he had to make.

But after just a few seconds, the look of uncertainty left Ryan's eyes and the young Phoenixian looked directly at Signas. His eyes had the determination of someone who was willing to risk anything to achieve the best possible outcome in a given situation.

"If it is all right with you," he said. "Our group would like to work with the Maverick Hunters."

"Then it's agreed?" Signas concluded, extending his hand for a handshake.

Ryan's composure broke down ever so slightly at that as he was still a bit intimidated at Signas. He glanced over at Ryu's scowl and then at Gale's encouraging smile for a split second before reaching out and taking Signas' hand in his own (and drawing back slightly when he realized exactly how big it is) for a shake.

"It's agreed," he repeated firmly.

"You're just going to ally us with people we barely know?" Ryu countered as Ryan put down his hand.

To Zero's surprise, Ryan didn't cower at the malice in Ryu's voice.

"It's like what Mr. Signas said—" Ryan stopped for a second when Signas raised an eyebrow at his name. "—Samael's teamed up with Sigma and if we tried to take on them individually, we probably wouldn't stand a chance so it's best if we just work together. Besides…" Ryan looked down, a look of upset gracing his face. "James and Naomi are still recovering here and Meira said it's too risky to move them elsewhere since they're too injured at the moment. If we stay here, then James and Naomi could recover and at the same time, we can help Mr. Zero and Mr. X on how to fight with magic. Both sides benefit so why refuse?"

Ryan frowned and looked up at Ryu as if expecting a retort. Instead, Ryu smirked in approval and Gale placed a reassuring hand on the teenager's shoulder. Even Zero had to admit: for a 16 year old kid, Ryan was pretty good at thinking things through.

"Oh. While we're at it, I would like to ask a favor," Ryan requested, looking at Signas. "If it's not too much to ask, I was wondering if we could stay here for a while until this is over."

When all three reploids in the room stared at him, Ryan got tense and tried to explain, "Well, the village is too far away and we can't leave James and Naomi here by themselves. If Samael tried to get to them, they'd be helpless. Besides, I'm not sure about Naomi but I know James enough to know that if he wakes up without seeing anyone he recognizes, he goes into a panic and I don't really want that kind of trouble, whether it is to the hunters or to us."

Signas thought for a moment, but then nodded. "All right," he consented.

"Do you have anymore questions, just in case?" Gale asked the three hunters. "So we'll be clear on the whole clan thing."

When X and Zero shook their heads, Signas stood up saying, "That is all for this meeting, then. You're all dismissed. X, show them where the spare rooms are."

X nodded and motioned the three humans, who stood up after Signas, to follow. Ryu, however, turned to the doorway before X.

"I'm going to the infirmary to check on James and Naomi," he said.

"Wait. I have a question, Ryu," Zero spoke up, making Ryu stop just before passing the doorway.

"What is it?" Ryu inquired without even turning to the hunter.

"When we were in the clearing, you had a chance to finish Samael off but you didn't. Judging by the way you kept talking to Samael, I'd say you didn't even want to fight him," Zero began. Ryu's shoulders tensed slightly at the accusation. "Why is that? Who is Samael to you?"

The room filled with a tense quiet as Ryan and even Gale looked nervously at Ryu's back, waiting for his answer. Gale, X and Signas looked at the serious but curious expression on Zero's face just before Ryu's soft voice broke the silence.

"Samael is my half-older brother."

By the time the three of them looked back at the doorway, Ryu was already gone.

* * *

O: The group's strongest ally is related to the group's strongest enemy! :)) Just when I thought I didn't have to switch characters anymore, I suddenly remembered Cara's with Samael. OTL Oh well...


End file.
